The present invention relates to a cleaner for an electrophotographic copying machine generating pictures using toner, which is capable of removing residual toner from the surface of the photoreceptor following the discharge procedure.
Conventional copying machines which generate pictures using toner let the toner-absorbing photoreceptor continuously perform all photocopying operations. In other words, the surface of the photoreceptor that passes through the copying steps of "charge, light exposure, development, transfer, and discharge" is recharged and completes these steps again before performing the next copying operation. In the developing process, the toner absorbed by the surface of the photoreceptor is not fully transferred onto the papers being copied and part of the toner remains on the surface of the photoreceptor. If the next copying operation is executed using a photoreceptor containing residual toner, the toner tends to adhere to a portion of the copied paper other than the picture, thus making it difficult for the copy machine to correctly and cleanly complete the necessary copying operation. In order to accurately copy the original continuously, it is necessary to completely remove residual toner from the discharge-completed portion of the photoreceptor surface. Conventional electrophotographic copying machines include a cleaner with a blade made of elastic material which scrapes the residual toner from the surface of the photoreceptor between the discharge-charger and the charger-charger. The flecks of toner then traverse a screw shaft into a container mounted between the front cabinet and the front frame where a limited quantity of dislodged toner is stored until cleaning. Some conventional copying machines also provides a container below the cleaning unit which catches toner scraped by the blade. Such conventional cleaning methods require removal of the container when extracting clogged paper from the unit. Even when using an electrophotographic copier which integrates various copying machinery into one unit that can be easily attached or detached from the copying machine, it is necessary to remove the toner collection container to service the unit properly. The capacity of the toner collection container is limited by the confined space between the front cabinet and the front frame on standard copiers. Even when using the advanced integrated copying mechanism mentioned above, the capacity of the toner collection container is also limited due to space constraints. Consequently, when copying a large number of papers, even before general maintenance is required, residual toner may build up inside the container, inconveniencing clients who are forced to replace the stained container.